Speaking of Competition Improving Services

We have another two African countries giving France the boot. Chad and Senegal.

Given the long French history of brutality and looting, even after de jure colonial status ended, it comes as no surprise that these nations are turning to Russia and China.

France lost one of its staunchest military allies in the volatile Sahel region of Africa this week as Chad ended its longstanding defense partnership with the country, the latest blow to French efforts to maintain sway on the continent it once colonized.

France has some 1,000 troops in Chad who will likely now have to leave. Analysts suggested that could further open the door to influence of the Russian military, already present in Chad’s neighbors.

The surprise decision was announced late Thursday by Chad’s foreign minister, Abderaman Koulamallah. “It is time for Chad to assert its sovereignty,” he said in a statement, calling the decision “a historic turning point.”

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Following the recent ejection of French troops and personnel from other former African colonies plagued by Islamist insurgencies — Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso — the decision by Chad ends what remained of France’s military influence in the troubled stretch of countries below the Sahara known as the Sahel.

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In a further shock for France, Senegal’s president told the news agency Agence France-Presse on Thursday that he, too, wants French troops to leave. 

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Chad’s battle-hardened troops were indispensable in France’s crushing of the Islamist insurgency in Mali in 2013. French troops helped install the dictator Hissène Habré in 1982, then helped overthrow him in favor of Mr. Déby in 1990. French Mirage jets take off regularly on training missions from a military base in the capital, N’Djamena.

French President Emmanuel Macron was the only Western leader to attend the funeral of Mr. Déby, killed fighting rebels in April 2021. Mr. Macron’s presence was seen as a kind of anointing for Mr. Déby’s son Mahamat, the current ruler. “France will never allow the stability and integrity of Chad to be called into question,” Mr. Macron said at the time.

So France has installed 2 dictators in Chad, and was in the process of installing a third dictator, and the Chadians got sick of their bullsh%$?

Gee, hoocoodanode?

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In April the U.S. announced it was pulling some 75 Special Forces troops from the country after Chadian officials expressed discontent over their presence. It is not clear whether any have returned.

So they kicked out the Americans too.

It appears that the Chinese and Russians are offering better deals, and African nations, particularly in the Sahel, are taking these deals.

It's called enlightened self-interest.